BlackBook-ing It Out. BlackBook Magazine scored a new editor in chief in January, in the form of Gawker alumnus and former Departures editor Joshua David Stein. Seven months later, they're looking for a new editor-in-chief. Stein, who will stay with the magazine through the October/November issue, and remain as a consultant through the end of the year, explained over email:

The magazine has never looked as good as it does now and advertising revenue reflects that. Nevertheless, I've decided to return to freelance writing and editorial consulting. I am, at heart, not a beast of the office but of the field. I am, of course, looking to find my own replacement, which is one of the blessings in choosing one's own departure. As I said, I'm very proud of the product and the work the team here has done. And though it is bad news for the industry, there are a lot of really talented people these days freshly looking for work.

LGBT Goes OMG! and LOL: Speaking of hiring, those scallywags at Jonah Peretti's Rikers Island for Troubled Young Memes and the People Who Invent Them—Buzzfeed—are opening up an LGBT vertical that has "yet to be launch [sic]" according to the job listing for an associate editor on it. This will be interesting. We hear the position—which is in fact editor of the vertical—will report to Buzzfeed managing editor Scott Lamb; they're looking for someone to add a cultural component to nicely compliment Buzzfeed politics reporter Chris Geidner's LGBT issues coverage (which he's won awards for, we were informed!).

Yahoo! For Good Plans. In her approach as editor-in-chief, Hillary Frey is taking a familiar-sounding (in a good way!) editorial structure in building out Yahoo! News:

I like a beat structure and working in that kind of environment. I think it gives reporters a clear idea of who to go to, who to lean on for advice, for direction and editing input. All of that creates a really important tie between the editor and the reporter. The beat structure at Yahoo is clear, but as we look to developing more content in different areas, we’ll be growing the organization here and there. We’ll be going along with that sort of structure having people really clearly report to specific people.

Read more in Poynter's interview with her. [Poynter]

Cosmo-naut: We once tried writing about the fact that Deadwood was the spiritual predecessor to Girls in that Girls is a show that seeks to separate itself from the popular wisdom and values of contemporary womanhood as perpetrated on the world by Cosmopolitan Magazine, which is owned by descendants of George Hearst, who (spoiler alert) ruins everything in the last season of Deadwood. Anyway: Edith Zimmerman of The Hairpin did a deep-dive on Cosmo for this week's New York Times Magazine that is no doubt worth reading. We will know once we finish it. [NYT Mag]

Jonah's Whale-Sized Problem Grows: Tablet contributor Michael C. Moynihan, the guy who busted Jonah Lehrer for fudging quotes, has a little more to say on the matter in response to critiques of his report:

A comment on Jonah Lehrer: I've received a few emails and seen a number of pieces/blog posts that ask, in essence, "what's the big deal"? It's just a few quotes, after all. As I mentioned, I only looked at the Dylan chapter in Imagine, and nothing else. I've since had a cursory look at a few other chapters (including in his previous book, How We Decide), no more than a few hours of checking and a few emails too people mentioned by Lehrer--and I found fake interviews, quotes that can't be located, and plagiarism. So while one can reasonably debate how serious a crime it is to fudge a handful of Dylan quotes (pretty serious, if you ask me), always remember: no one ever does this kind of thing once, or just in one chapter.

We recently wondered aloud if that was, indeed the case. Maybe so? [@mcmonyihan]

Please send your tips, story ideas, paper cranes, and mean things to say about The Nation right this way.

fkamer@observer.com | @weareyourfek

So, how to capitalize off of this as a freelance writer? One idea: Use it to write a totally innocuous post in which you celebrate spending lavishly, ostensibly for your birthday, but actually as trollbait for the few people on the Internet who would read it.

For BlackBook, one Linnea Covington writes:

This year the month of May kicked off with branches of the Occupy movement storming the streets of Manhattan marching and videotaping police brutality.

All this happened outside the window of Onegin as I sat in a plush chair dining on red caviar wrapped in blintzes and sipped from tiny glasses of spicy horseradish infused vodka. For May Day in my world is also my birthday and for one day, I felt a part of the one percent as I spent the afternoon in completely opulent luxury.

Ms. Covington doesn't even go all the way, choosing to visit places like SCRATCHbread, Parm, Pegu Club, and The Vault at Pfaff’s. What, Cipriani wouldn't suffice?

For the record, the Writer Lives Like One Percent For a Day gag was already done by Kevin Roose over at Dealbook almost a month ago, and he at least went through the trouble of scoring a bodyguard, a private plane ride, and a snazzy new suit.

The most egregious slight against anti-capitalism movements may be, however, that she was likely paid for her services of writing something that isn't a review, or comprehensive coverage, or really anything but a scrapbook page penned with the sole purpose of instigation that ends as this did.

Police lined the streets and Broadway was blocked off from traffic. So, I did what any self-respecting one percent birthday girl would do: I marched down the dark stairway into the swank cocktail lounge and ordered champagne.

Not falling on either side, we can't be sure, but we would advise a simple fact check: Would a self-respecting "one percent" anything write anything like this, let alone publish it?

fkamer@observer.com | @weareyourfek

“I’m not a billionaire,” Mr. Stein told Off the Record last week. “This job’s not going to make me a billionaire. Or a millionaire for that matter!”

Mr. Stein’s new boss at the arts and culture starter magazine, on the other hand, is definitely a billionaire. Last month, BlackBook Media Corp. was bought by grocery magnate Ron Burkle and his investment partner, Magic Johnson. Mr. Stein didn’t have much to say about the acquisition, except that it means more money and better resources for the magazine, side-by-side with Mr. Burkle’s current holdings, Vibe, Uptown and the reportedly lucrative Access Network media software company.

“I think the content is some of the best content out there,” Mr. Stein said of BlackBook. “I think we can present it in a more creative, sophisticated kind of way.”

“If you look at the front-of-book there’s a lot of capsule reviews. That’s not my style,” he went on. “There’s not gonna be capsule reviews. There will be a meaty, interesting, compelling front-of-book. I’ll also say I think we have a wonderful team in place, but obviously I’m looking to add people there.”

And aspiring BlackBook writers take note: Mr. Stein has a Zen boss attitude befitting a survivor of Gawker’s self-destructive heyday.

“I’m interested in being fair, kind and just to the readers and to the staff,” he said.

As for Mr. Stein’s own arts and culture bona fides, it’s hard to beat this: He has an album coming out next month of songs he’s been working on since he was an intern at Harper’s, eight years ago.

“When I was an intern at Harper’s, Lewis Lapham was there and he was great. He peed without touching his penis,” Mr. Stein explained. “I had never seen anything like that. So I wrote a song about him.”

Sample lyric: “Lewis chain smokes Parliaments/He called me ‘babe’ once/I don’t know what he meant/I feel like I gained a new grandparent.”

Since then, Mr. Stein has written many more songs, including a number of songs about women he’s dated, as well his wife, Ana Heeren, with whom he recently had a son, Achilles. As a 30th birthday gift, Mr. Stein’s friend Kyle Forester, the Crystal Stilts musician, recorded 15 of Mr. Stein’s original songs with a full band. In March, they’re releasing the album, called “KCF sings JDS,” in a limited run of 500.

“I asked Lewis to write the liner notes but I haven’t heard back from him,” Mr. Stein said.

Ron Burkle and Earvin "Magic" Johnson have teamed up to purchase BlackBook Media, publisher of the 15 year-old BlackBook Magazine [Full disclosure: a previous employer of this writer.] as reported by the New York Post.

Over the last three years, BlackBook—a publication of which Burkle-extortionist Jared Paul Stern was still a contributor to not all that long ago—went from a downtown hipster fashion rag notorious for not paying freelance writers to a content machine, building out listings in cities across the world, and using those listings for custom app development for advertising buyers. These were some of the assets that proved attractive enough to get Mr. Burkle and Mr. Johnson to invest in the company:

The biggest plum in the newly acquired business is Access Network, whose software has been licensed to over 100 media operations. It allows clients to refine their database lists with curated material such as local restaurant reviews. Access Networks software is used by Corcoran Real Estate Guides, Maxim Guides, MTV’s “Jersey Shore” Guides and Bravo!’s Top Chef Guide, among others.

The duo also purchased Vibe Holdings last year. Incidentally, BlackBook's president Ari Horowitz stepped down as president of Vibe under different ownership in 2007 to focus more on BlackBook. The last time Mr. Burkle was involved in the ownership of a fashionable Manhattan glossy magazine, it was his partnership with Yusef Jackson—son of Jesse—in the third and final iteration of Radar Magazine, which was shut down and sold off to American Media in 2008. At the time, Gawker wrote:

There's really never been any evidence that Burkle loves magazines. Murdoch will take a loss for years on something like the New York Post. Burkle didn't give [Radar editor Maer] Roshan the five years he said it'd take to break even on Radar before he pulled the plug. Because if it's not subsidizing his lifestyle, it's not worth the cash. He's a capitalist, obviously, and Radar was not a charitable endeavor, but if we had his fortune we wouldn't mind wasting it on the talent Roshan brought together.

Given BlackBook's diverse asset basket, it's not likely they'll see the same fate, despite all of the incidental Manhattan magazine history at play (one would hope).

fkamer@observer.com | @weareyourfek

From his designated corner of Bullett’s Chelsea loft (equipped with a big shiny Mac, but still awaiting a partition to separate the broom closet from the office), Mr. Haramis said he had been seduced by the prospect of building something new at Bullett, an opportunity presented to him by editor in chief Idil Tabanca and chief brand officer Carrie Rosten in a meeting at The Ace.

Although Bullett is not exactly a start-up, one might say it’s pivoting. In the spring, a founding investor and editor, Erin Ralph, a proto-Tavi fashion blog entrepreneur, was bought out by another founder and his or her “undisclosed overseas backer,” rumored to be a blood relation.

Ms. Tabanca, 27, replaced Ms. Ralph as editor-in-chief. She said the parting was mutual and amicable. Ms. Tabanca hired Ms. Rosten from Out magazine. Ms. Ralph went on to launch Weebo, a social shopping start-up.

Mr. Haramis, 28, joined Bullett from Blackbook, where he was first spotted as a rising star, climbing from intern to editor-in-chief in five years. He’ll take over Bullett’s written editorial, which until this point has been mostly Q&As. Mr. Haramis had met Ms. Tabanca previously, when she was launching Bullett a little over a year ago, and she was looking for advice.

But the magazine’s young masthead has since thrown out whatever playbook editors were working from then.

First, forget that pesky church-state divide between business and editorial. Bullett did not run print advertisements in the Fall issue, in part because in the past print ads broke the magazine's creative flow. Print is precious these days, the thinking went. Now, Ms. Rosten looks for sponsors whose brands are a fit with Bullett’s aesthetic and who are open to more inventive forms of product placement or cobranding. That could mean anything from a photo shoot with a Porsche sponsored by Porsche (but directed by Bullett) to an arts section curated by MoMA.

Although, hey, if they want to make ads for other magazines, Bullett is happy to help. Part of what Ms. Tabanca calls the company’s “360 business plan” is the Bullett Creative Agency, which will advise brands.

“What’s the point in starting a business if you’re going to do everything the same?” Ms. Tabanca mused.

What has remained the same through Bullett’s rocky transition is its celebrity draw—which is surprisingly bold-faced given the publication’s age (infantile) and reputation (obscure).

Bullett’s content relies heavily on celebrity collaboration and stunts. In the Fall issue, Mary-Louise Parker wrote a letter to Nancy Botwin, her character on Weeds. In Ewan McGregor’s photoshoot, he helped conceptualize the characters, wore his own leather jacket, and took Ms. Tabanca’s dare to be photographed writing his name in urine on the sidewalk. (To be honest, they ended up simulating it. Who could pee that long?)

According to Mr. Haramis, Bullett’s art team presents their would-be subjects with 100-page books of images and inspiration about the next issue’s theme. Engaging subjects in the process helps circumvent publicists and avoid the sort of  lunch interviews and monitored phone calls that make other magazines so boring to Bullett’s founders. (Or worse, their bartering access to one client for promotion of another.) Mr Haramis’s familiarity with publicists—he is a prolific celebrity profiler—comes in handy.

In the next week or so the staff will put the “Secrets” issue, which features Michael C. Hall, to bed. The one after that is will be about youth. And not just whipper-snappers like Ms. Tabanca and Mr. Haramis. The tentative cut-off for inclusion in the “Nymphs” issue is 21.

Das Racist.

Last night at PH-D, the rooftop hotspot atop the Dream Downtown, BlackBook magazine hosted a party to celebrate its 15th year of publication. Cover boy/True Blood vampire Alexander Skarsgård was there, as were flocks of girls stretching their iPhones toward his booth to get a picture of him.

Yet, the other guests of honor—critical darling rap group Das Racist—were not as impressed with the fashion party. Before, during, and after their short performance (part straight-faced performance art, part tag-team rap mayhem; one onlooker noted that they appeared to be texting while on stage), they took to Twitter to air some grievances.

But, hey, you know what? It seemed to The Transom that the guys were having a decent time. When we arrived they were drinking from the bottle service, provided by BlackBook, and eating some more-than-edible looking French Fries.

So maybe the guys were just joking.

Just joking, they're not joking.

nfreeman@observer.com | @nfreeman1234

Gawker posted about the profile — notable in and of itself, seeing as that site's tao of Tao saw them first promising to never mention him again, then pardoning him, then posting a long narrative he wrote about getting arrested at Think Coffee. They said The Stranger had the "dumb audacity" to give the "stunt novelist" such an overblown cover.

Perhaps, The Stranger suggests, they didn't completely understand the joke at hand? Tao Lin forwarded The Observer an email he got from Christopher Frizzelle, editor of the Seattle alt weekly, in which he suggests that Gawker totally missed the point.

"I think they really think that we think you are the greatest of american novelists," Frizzelle wrote to Lin. "Remember when Gawker was usually funny and ahead of the jokes? So slow on the uptake now."

There's another profile of Tao Lin out today, this one in BlackBook. It proceeds in a manner somewhat similar to that of his profile in The Observer. The BlackBook profile, however, has more drug use.

Early in the piece, Rozalia Jovanovic follows Tao from Union Square, to a rooftop, to a couple of swank parties — "at times both of us under the influence of a controlled substance." At BEast, for Ryan McGinley's Main Man party, the two of them split an Adderall — the reporter encourages the usage after Tao says the drug makes him talk more — and, feeling indebted, Jovanovic offers a Valium in return. He also talks about his experiences with other drugs, and how he uses them to help write his form-heavy novels. 

My ex-girlfriend had a friend who broke a hip and got a lot of methadone. I probably took that like ten times and I liked it a lot. Surprisingly, it lasted like 24 hours. I would go to sleep and wake up and still feel it. And then for a while I liked things like Klonopin, Xanax, and Valium. I’ve taken acid a few times. I don’t get any hallucinations. Actually, it just feels like Adderall. But it’s stronger and lasts longer. 

Before they leave, Tao spots Ryan McGinley, and instead of wearing the jean jacket we saw him in multiple times during Fashion Week, McGinley is wearing a red hat. "Is that red hat his signature hat?" Tao Lin asks. 

From there they go to Le Bain for the 'SUP magazine party. Tao noticies that 'SUP magazine only has 2,100 followers on Twitter. Once there, they venture over to the hot tub. There's a topless girl in the hot tub. On the ledge of the hot tub, Tao Lin talks about how he didn't have many friends in school.

The first issue arrived on stands with much fanfare and a crowded party, perhaps thanks to the long list of high-profile names gracing its masthead and editorial pages. Alexandra Kerry (daughter of John) and John Mailer (son of Norman) were recruited as staff editors, as was Zoe Wolff, former features director at Domino. Mr. Schindler tapped his former BlackBook cohort Bill Powers, husband of designer Cynthia Rowley, as artistic director, and Susan Cappa, former associate publisher of Vogue, as publisher. There were contributions from artist Matthew Barney, CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, filmmaker David Cronenberg, photographer Ryan McGinley and artist-filmmaker Julian Schnabel, who shot Oscar winner Benicio del Toro for the cover. The second issue, which came out in April, was no less splashy, with a somewhat gruesome cover image of model Kate Moss’ face designed by wealthy artist Damien Hirst.

But there is some doubt as to whether the magazine’s third issue, expected out this month, will hit the presses.

Well-placed sources told the Transom that Tar’s former Hudson Street offices are closed (the voice mailbox there was full), that the staff has not worked since mid-summer and that several contributors had filed pieces for the next issue only to learn that it wouldn’t be published.

So is Tar kaput?

“It’s on hold,” wrote Mr. Schindler, reached via email, though he declined to elaborate any further than to say, “If the third issue of Tar comes out late, or not at all, contributors will be paid according to contracts, including standard kill fees.”

It’s possible Mr. Schindler is simply busy in his role as president of Interview magazine, a post to which he was appointed in July.

"Fisch for the Hip--Stealth consignment shop that’s a well-kept secret among models, socialites and celebs. I won’t dare reveal their names (since many request special delivery and shopping hours) but this is one of the hottest shops in Manhattan. High quality, vintage, rare and seasonal treasures make it hard to believe the affordable prices. Loaded with upscale designer merchandise like Louis Vuitton, Hermes, Chanel, Nina Ricci and many more. Fret not: their staff is fully versed on the history of every individual piece and whether or not its been previously worn on or off the red-carpet.”

It's 153 W 18th St., in case you were looking to do some high-end thrifting (or spying).

Even for Larry David, apparently. In the August issue of BlackBook magazine (due out July 22), bone-dry British ironist Steve Coogan, who also has two movies coming out this summer that will test Americans' waning tolerance for subtlety, tells the interviewer: "My career is so important. I’m being ironic. Can you put that in quotes: 'He said, ironically?'" He also talked about working with Mr. David.

"The first time he laughed at something I did, it was a huge relief," he said. "If you decide to interrupt Larry David in the middle of an improvisation, it had better be funny, or you feel like an ass."

Though the interview was conducted before the recent spate of humorlessness, he does address the difference between British and American humor--or the lack of it: "Smart American comedy is not that different spiritually from smart British comedy," he tells the magazine. "The only difference is you’re in Hawaii, it’s sunny and everyone’s wearing shorts."